Sometimes when you look at your bank account the only thing you can really feel is a sinking sense of despair. It’s hard to know where all your money somehow vanishes to over the course of the month – but it doesn’t have to be hard when you start trying to save a little more cash. Here are some tips on how you can make your bank account look a little more cheerful by cutting back on your spending.

Go Cash Only

If you have a habit of using your credit card a lot without thinking about it, go cash only. It’s easy to allow small card purchases to add up over time – a coffee here, a shirt there – and you may be spending a lot more than you realise you are. If you get out a certain amount of cash every day, you will be more aware of what you’re spending and it will be a lot easier to stick to your budget.

Start Meal Planning

Everyone’s done it: there’s no food in the house so you go out to dinner or you order a takeaway. The only problem is that they are a lot more expensive than what you could make at home, and also often a lot less healthy. At the start of the week, make sure that you begin to plan out your meals so that you know what you’re eating on what day. This will help you when it comes to buying groceries, and you also won’t have to wrestle with trying to decide what to cook for dinner when you get home from work.

Invest In A New Car

It’s a great idea to invest in a new car. If you have a large car that uses a lot of fuel, consider how much you really need that – not only is it hugely expensive to run, but it isn’t great for the environment. Although investing in a new car might seem like a big expense, in the long run it will definitely be worth it.

You could also think about getting a used car instead of a new car from somewhere like https://www.hiltoncarsupermarket.co.uk/locations/london – not only do they offer warranties which individual private sellers won’t, but you’ll also notice that your insurance costs will be lower and as the car will be worth less, you may even be able to pay in cash.

Start To Use Your Local Library

Finally, make sure that you start to use your local library. Not only is it free to borrow books so you don’t have to spend a lot of money buying them, but there will be a lot more services there than you realised. There may be storytime sessions for your toddlers, reading challenges for your older kids over the summer, computer sessions for older people that you could encourage your parents or grandparents to attend – and you will also be able to borrow CDs, audiobooks and e-books, as well as making use of newspaper and magazine subscriptions that your library has.

It doesn’t have to be hard to save money – these tips will add to your life in more ways than your bank account!